It's International Food Waste Awareness Day. It is estimated that almost 300 thousand tons of food are thrown away in Croatia every year, most of which is in households. This not only wastes food, but also the money, energy, water and labor invested in its production, writes HRT.
What Croatia is doing to reduce food waste and how important education and changing consumer habits are were discussed on the Studio 4 show.
Sanja Kolaric Kravar, Head of the Food Quality Sector, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said that 286 thousand tons of food are wasted in Croatia, of which 106 thousand tons is the edible part, which, she says, can be influenced.
- Research shows that an average of 71 kilograms are thrown away per consumer per year, and the average in the EU is 132 kilograms. Data shows that 76 percent of food waste is generated in households and we need to educate consumers. 14 percent of waste is generated in primary production, including family farms, 5 percent in the catering industry, 3 percent in manufacturing and 2 percent in retail and distribution, she emphasized.
This year, the EU published the results of a study that found that in Croatia we have 3 types of consumers. One type is those who are not burdened by food waste, the other is really aware, and the third is practitioners who look at economic value.
- All three types need to be educated on how to buy less food that will end up in waste, she said.
Change of habits
He emphasizes that we need to change our habits and be careful not to buy too much food. Also, we should not go shopping hungry and we should make a list of the necessary groceries.
- Refrigerators should be arranged so that food with a shorter shelf life is in the first place, she said.
She added that 16 percent of food that is wasted is meat, fish and eggs, including bones, 14 percent is fruit and vegetables, and 14 percent is potatoes.
- One of the measures to prevent food waste is donating food, and another part is a campaign towards consumers, she said.
In the EU, 59 million tons of food ends up as waste every year
The Ministry of Agriculture has created an educational picture book that is distributed to all first graders. The picture book teaches children how not to waste food.
Kolarić Kravar pointed out that in the EU, 59 million tons of food ends up as waste, which is equivalent to a value of 132 billion euros annually.
- This is a paradox because there are so many people in need. Also, food waste, in addition to its economic and unethical effects, affects the environment. The amount mentioned generates about 16 percent of the total amount of greenhouse gases, she emphasized.
She said that in 2018, an e-donation platform was created that connects donors and intermediaries, thus speeding up the donation system. It was the forerunner of the food bank.
- Around 1500 tons of food were saved through this system. The Ministry of Agriculture, through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, disbursed grants through a reform measure to improve the food donation system. 9 food banks have been established and intermediaries have been equipped with infrastructure, she said.
Donors exempt from value added tax
He adds that the number of food donors has increased, and the mediators are humanitarian organizations and civil society organizations.
- Donors are exempt from value added tax, but there are also benefits on profit and income taxes, she pointed out.
She stressed that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has signed a voluntary agreement with 39 stakeholders in the food production chain. This includes academic communities, local governments and associations, where they have all committed to increasing food donations, conducting campaigns towards consumers and streamlining the process so that excessive amounts of food are not created and end up in waste.
- The report says that food waste was reduced by 9 percent this year. Our goal is for this reduction to be 30 percent by 2028, she said.
Research conducted by the EC has shown that 10 percent of food waste is caused by consumers' misunderstanding of the two ways of displaying expiration dates.
- Use by date is a safety date and is marked on food that is easily perishable from a microbiological point of view, and food should not be consumed after that date. It is best to use by the quality date, food retains its properties even after that date, but it may be of slightly lower quality, but if stored properly it is safe for health, she emphasized.
Source: HRT
Photo: archive
